Wichita eagle., 1887-10-05
his house and ready for business.

his house and ready for business.
ut wasn't no time fore the dogs was on the
trail of poor Squire. and he hered 'em er COM
ing, and he struck off in err run to git home if
he could, and Lula she hered 'em and she was
scared to death, and she listened TO the bark
Of the hounds as they went down the spring
path and over the fence ard then through the
old field and into the woods and she could
here the tearing down of fences SO the horses
could git over and the voice of Ed as he set
on his dogs and she come mighty nigh going
crazy for fear the dogs would catch Squire
and tear him up, but they didn't for he just
took to er tree and set thar till the dogs all
come UP, and then he surrendered and they
took him over to Justice Smiths and put him
under guard till morning and then they war
going to try him for stealing chickens and
PIT him in Jail The next morning, bright
and early, Lula she come here to my house err
crying and er wringing of her hands, and she
told my old conan just the truth Of the whole
matter, and said she didn't want Squire hurt
nor she didn't want her father to find it out,
and she didn't know what to do. The old
oman called me in and told me erbout how
it was, and just saddled my nag and went
over to Justice Smiths and stood Squire's
bail for 500 to appear at big court. and that
settled it.
THAT was in the spring of '6l, and Squire
he Joined e military company and went to
Virginia, and he made as good rebel soldier
as thar was in the war. Squire he sent let
tiers to me for Lula and I'd give 'em to the
old 'oman and the old oman would take 'em
TO Lula, and to this day me or my folks can
get any thing that the Simmons have got, and
they are the richest folks in this settlement,
and that fellow what passed here er while
ergo is Jasper Green, and you can tell what
be is by looking at him. You never know
what er mans gwyne to be till he dies"
= y
SWhen Sherman came down here" contin-
ued old man Plunket, "old man Bright gath
cred up everything in the way Of gold that
he had kept all through the war, and hid it
out. Thar was not err living soul that knowed
how much he had nor what he done with it
but his old niger, Pomp. When we hered
the Yankees were apt to git down this way,
old Bright he went to studying how to hide
his money, and he trusted old Pomp with
everything, and asked his opinion as to the
safest way to hide it. Old Pomp said he'd
fix er way to hide it SO that every Yam
kee in the world couldn't find it. Bright
told him to go ahead and not let er liv-
ing soul know about it. Old Pomp he went
off and gathered up whole bag full of
gourds and he fotch 'em and give 'em to old
man Bright, and they put all the gold and sill
yer into 'em and them old Pomp he got
Ratchet and told his master to come ahead
and they went down in the creek bottom and
begin to look for hollow trees and every time
they got one that suited they'd put one er the
gourds into the hollow, and old Pomp would
mark the tree with his Ratchet, till they
got all the money stored away. Old SheY-
man warn't long er coming and old man
Bright, he Lit out on his horse to go over the
river and the bridge was burned and he tried
to swim with his horse and that was the end
of him. He got drowned and the soldiers got
the horse, and no one but old Pomp knowed
anything erbout his money, and he wouldn't
tell, and everybody thought the Yankees
got it."
Plunket took fresh chew of Browns to-
bacco and then continued:
Fright thar is whar Jasper Green's luck
changed for the worse, and whar Squire
Simmons changed for the better Lula was
poor then, the war was over and it was hard
times. Squire came home from Virginia,
and he was glad old Bright was dead, +
reckon, for he went right straight to see Lula,
and they war married, and everybody said
that Squire had changed er heap, and had
more sense than he used to have, and they
went to keeping house, and in erbout er month
up steps old Pomp-the Yankees had carried
him of-and told 'etn all erbout the money in
the gourds and they got it, old Pomp remark |
ing: 'Ef young miss had er married Jasper |
Green he'd never lrnowed nothin' erbout |
these here gourds' Old Pomp is dead, and |
he's the only niger I know that's got er
tombstone. Squire and Lula put it thar on |
bis grave, and the reading on it is this: